History of Oceana
The majority of the history of the peoples, tribes and kingdoms of the Oceanic Archipelago, from the last ice age to the present day, is still being researched. Pre History The islands of the Oceana Archipelago were first occupied at the end of the last Ice Age around the 12th millenium B.C.E Settlers likely crossed ice shelves between the Oceanas Channel and the Gulf of Veneta. By the 9th millenium B.C.E these ice shelves had melted and Oceana was separated from the mainland. Panopea and later Cynopea followed in the next few millennia. Isolated from the mainland, Oceana was slower to develop than most mainland countries and it is not until around the 3rd millenium B.C.E. that evidence of farming and animal husbandry appear in the River Valleys. By the 1st millenium B.C.E civilisation in Oceana and the surrounding Isles were based around small villages and hill forts. Classical writers mention Oceana as famous for its skilled wheat farming and this can be corroborated by signs of industrious grain farming on the Clutha and Halciona Rivers. It is not until the 6th century B.C.E. that evidence of use of Iron is found. Trescan Province Trescans first came to Oceana from the Venetan Peninsula. First recorded landings were made in Northern Marpesia in the late 1st century C.E. but for whatever reason were failures. It was another few generations that Trescans crossed the Oceanic Channel from Neustria, and subjugated the native kingdoms of the Halciona Valley. Later, the Clutha Valley was incorporated into the Empire. By the mid 2nd century the word 'Oceana' appears as the name for the Trescan Province on these islands. The words Cynopea and Marpesia were also coined by the Trescan, referring to groups of tribes in the northern and south-western parts of the Oceana-Marpesium, outside of Trescan control. Panopea is said to have been discovered by the Trescans, but there are no recordings of the Empire ever venturing to the Island. Oceana persisted as a Trescan provinces for another 200 years until the late 4th century when the Trescans abandoned the archipelago as their empire began to implode. Teutonic Migrations Part of the reason for the implosion of the Trescan Empire was the series of migrations from tribes in Teutonia, which pushed into Neustria and Veneta in the late 4th and early 5th centuries. This first wave of migrations forced the Trescans to withdraw from the Province of Oceana. The power vacuum in the wake of the Trescan withdrawal quickly splintered into several small kingdoms of Trescan-Oceanans. It was not until the second wave of migrations in the 6th century that Teutonians came to Oceana. Several tribes crossed the Gulf of Veneta and settled along the Halciona. The Teutonians either took over, or utterly destroyed existing kingdoms. Throughout the 6th century and into the 7th, the tribes and kingdoms expanded, taking over the Clutha and Hemisna river valleys. Once again however, Cynopea, Panopea and Marpesia remained unconquered. Scandian Raids and Migrations By the 8th century, the world had recovered somewhat from the fall of the Trescan Empire and some stability had returned. Wars were occurring on the Eurabian continent between Teutonia, Veneta and Neustria, leaving the Oceanan archipelago relatively peaceful from outside aggression. That changed mid-century, as raiding parties from the northern reaches of Eurabia started landing on the islands and shores of Marpesia, raiding settlements and monasteries. These raids by Scandians continued for another six decades, decimating many of the tribes of northern Marpesia. By the early 9th century, the raids became forceful migrations, as Scandian settlements were established in Lyngvik and Vik. This began a long reign of Scandian influence in Marpesia, with much of the Marpesian highlands falling into Scandian hands for the next three centuries. Although never a proper colony or province of Scandia, this era influenced the culture, language and people of Marpesia to an extent which is still evident today. Scandian expansion into southern Oceana was less successful, met by a powerful coalition of Teuton-Heritage kingdoms led by Siegfred the Great their attacks were first stalled then pushed back. A treaty eventually forced the Scandian 'Dragonmen', as they were known, to limit themselves to their Marpesian territories. Neustrian Conquest A new era in Oceana begun in the mid-11th century, as the Neustrian Crown begun to send conquest parties into Oceana, to bring the tribes and kingdoms into the Neustrian sphere of influence. Many of these conquests were more or less successful, pushing further into the islands than the Trescans, the Teutonians and the Scandians had ever managed. The first page of the history of a unified Oceana was finally written in 1103 when Turbo the Conqueror (aka Turbo the Devious) defeated the Teutons in the Battle of Eblana and crowned himself the first king of Oceana, King Turbo I. Revisionist historians, however, note that while Turbo was crowned his 'conquest' was of a highly limited nature as he faced significant turbulence and large scale resistance throughout his reign. Resistance that only came to a close during the reign of his son Turbo the Younger. Recent evidence also suggests that Turbo and his people, while owing allegiance to the Neustrian King, undertook the conquest as a private enterprise and not on their king's orders. Further it is noted that they were culturally Scandian in nature, having colonised that part of Neustria just two generations prior. Hence modern historians see the term 'Neustrian Conquest' as a misnomer, both for it being incomplete as a conquest and not entirely Neustrian either Monarchy As with most States in history, Oceana has strong roots in Monarchy and Aristocratic rule: From the invasion of Turbo I "The Conqueror" in 1103; through the Tyranny of the Barons, Civil War, Parliamentary Rule and Restoration; all the way through the Absolute Rule of the Venetan line. It eventually ended with the reign of King Tiervan (1975 - 2010), and the New Republic of Oceana's formation after the second Civil War. The First Era Oceana was first fully unified, albeit forcefully and in parts reluctantly, by the Neustrian Turbo the Younger, who became King Turbo II in 1123, fully solidifying the Neustrian Dynasty in Oceana. From the beginning of monarchical rule, Oceana was heavily connected with Neustria, its closest neighbour. Though it was a fractious relationship at best. At varying degrees, this continued for the next 154 years, until the crown was usurped in 1257, when King Adoxus I was crowned the seventh king of Oceana and an era that would come to be known as the Tyranny of the Barons began. The Tyranny of the Barons The Tyranny of the Barons , which lasted for 199 years, is considered the one of the bloodiest periods in Oceanan history, with many of Oceana's noble families fighting for the crown. During this turbulent period, 11 monarchs and 5 regents held the crown of Oceana. The Tyranny came to an end at the Battle of Starybridge in 1456 when Panurgus Bladnoch defeated King Turbo V and became King Panurgus I, the 18th Monarch of Oceana. The Panurgian Era The Oceanas Dynasty, started by King Panurgus I, was the first era of Oceana where law and order reigned, at least initially. Panurgus I was born in southern Panopea but grew up in West Oceana, and due to his heritage was the first Monarch of Oceana to be fully accepted by the Panopeans. During the 124 years of the Panurgian Era, it was the Marpesians that were the only ones to reject Oceanan rule and ruled autonomously. When Queen Parthenia I died on the throne in 1580 without a surviving heir, that all changed. The Era of Unification With no direct heir to the throne, the noble families of Oceana, Marpesia, Cynopea and Panopea met in Duntermon in 1580 in what became to be known as the Convention of Unification . To avoid another period of war and power grabs, the families decided on a new monarch, Morpheus the Marpesian, who became King Morpheus I , the 22nd Monarch of Oceana. This decision brought the nations of Oceana together under one crown for the first time in the country's history and began the Era of Unification, lasting until 1736 and what became the first Oceanan Civil War. Civil War and the Commonwealth During the reign of King Panurgus III , Republican factions in Oceana were beginning to take form. Panurgus III, known as "the Little Tyrant", earned his nickname with his ruthless grasp on power. He was forcibly deposed in 1736 by Republican forces seeking to bring an end to monarchical rule, kicking off a three-year period of civil war in Oceana, known as the Rule of Anarchy and War . The civil war ended in 1739 when the Republican Olphaus Megaletor appointed himself Protector of Oceana and declared it a commonwealth. The authoritarian rule by Megaletor lasted until early 1768, when the puppet Parliament he had convened a few years earlier to appease the citizens decided to depose him. The Parliament of Oceana of 1768 was the first hope of a Republican Oceana, but it soon fell to infighting and disagreements between those loyal to Megaletor and those seeking an elected President. In the autumn of 1768, this "grand experiment" ended when the son of Panurgus III landed in Portri, returning from exile in Veneta and declaring himself King Panurgus IV . Restoration of Monarchy After three decades of war, tyranny and persecution, Panurgus IV was tentatively welcomed into Oceana and ultimately accepted as a benevolent monarch. His marriage into Venetan nobility produced a son, who in 1791 ascended to the throne as King Caseaero I and took the new Venetan Dynasty and installed authoritarian rule over Oceana, silencing anyone who opposed his rule. This era would be last dynasty of monarchs in Oceana, ending in 2010 with the deposing of the 44th Monarch, King Tiervan, and the Second Civil War. The Reign of King Tiervan King Tiervan became the 44th and last monarch of Oceana in 1975. His rule over his subjects was authoritarian, controlling almost every aspect of life in the country, and subjugating the peoples with his secret police. His rule was filled with a constant ebb and flow of discontent. In this time, Oceanans faced their own "Bloody Sunday ", global terror threats and international economic crises amongst other things. The Old and New Republicans emerged as two branches of the revolutionary tree and led the people in the Second Civil War which became the revolution to overthrow the monarchy. The final shot of the Revolution came in the afternoon of December 24th 2010, when the last loyalists were overpowered at Emporium Castle after a siege that had last several months. Tiervan, who was hiding in the castle at the time, may have managed to escape and his whereabouts or fate are unknown, and may never be known. Complete study is yet to be done on this period of Oceanan history. You can a more detailed overview of the reign of King Tiervan and the Revolution on the Oceana Wiki. The Republic Rises In early 2011 representatives from all over Oceana, many of them influential leaders of the revolution, gathered in Glaschu and begun the long process to transforming Oceanan into a successful democratic republic. A Transitional Parliament was appointed in October 2011 and the first President of Oceana, Andrew Foster , was appointed. The First Parliament was elected in January 2012, and the democratic process continues through thick and thin. As the assassination of President Foster on Victory Day in May 2012 demonstrated, the Republic of Oceana has a long way still to travel. A comprehensive list of all the monarchs of Oceana may be found on the Oceana Wiki and are known, with some certainty, to be accurate. Historiographical Limitations Under the old regime, the history of Oceana became exceptionally convoluted and difficult to study. As a result, the current knowledge of Oceana's past rests in the hands of a small few historians and one book: The Commonwealth of Oceana by James Harrington. Very little is known about the history of Panopea and Cynopea. The archives of Cynopea's churches are slowly being explored by a number of volunteers, with the hope that these extensive vaults will reveal the full story of Cynopea. In Panopea the story is even more convoluted, but efforts are under way to discover the written and oral history of Panopea. Much work has yet to be done to discover the country's history, but it is hoped that the new Republic will place a significant focus on re-discovering the past. Category:History Category:The Republic